Injection??? Help please

I'm having trouble getting a diagnoses. I got an appointment with an endo but because he is almost 100 miles away from me he has set up a test he wishes me to have before he sees me. My doctor can't tell me anything about the test oher than it requires a doctor present as it is an injection. Thus I would have to go to the ER to have it done! An injection? Do you have any idea what this is all about? No one hasn't taken TPOAb, TGAb, ACTH, blood cortisol, 24hr saliva cortisol, DHEA sulfate - nothing! All they have is my T3, T4, and TSH levels - can you give me any ideas of what is going on here! I'm really scared now! Also I can eat right before going in [I won't think it would be a scan] it can't be don't in a doctor's office as I have to be under the watch of a doctor - HELP!

Thanks MG

Last edited by moderator2; 04-18-2008 at 07:12 PM.
Reason: to edit the title - please do not post to specific members by name - topics are open to ALL members

The test you're having is not that big a deal, so try to relax. An injection of radioactive tracer is given - not much different than any other "shot", really - and then a special scanner is used to detect how much of the dye the thyroid gland takes up. It will show nodules, if any are present; or it can determine how well the gland is working or it isn't.

I don't know the specifics of your situation... whether you are hypo- or hyperthyroid, or have nodules, for example. So I don't know what they're looking for with your test. There are strict guidelines to follow in preparation for it, though, and I'm pretty sure that eating within 2 hours of the test is a no-no. Be sure to get specific, detailed instructions from the facility that's doing the test.

It also might be a trh stimulation test where they inject trh and measure your tsh level afterwards. It's not commonly done but some doctors still find it useful. None of the tests that require an injection are really dangerous. The stuff has to be injected thru an iv and most doctor's offices don't like to do that inhouse so they send you over to the hospital for it where the folks are quite skilled in putting in iv's. Believe me, you don't want a nurse who doesn't do it daily, trying to put an iv into you. They also wanna make sure you don't have any type of weird reaction to whatever they inject so they keep a close eye on you.